Malachi Lawrence is a beast

[gimmesix]

Teams do not elevate a player due to combine performance. Most of the time they already know who is going to test well or not and who will be elite. You can go back and hear one of the scouts on with Broaddus and they were on him way before the combine. And then they ended up hiring one of his coaches too.

How much are NFL teams relying on the testing numbers from Indianapolis?​

The testing numbers gathered at the combine have never been a primary source for decisions made, but as San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said: "It's all a piece of the puzzle, like little weights that tip the scales as you stack them.''

The numbers matter, but the things at the combine that move the needle on a prospect's grade are far more likely to come outside the view of the cameras. Those include the medical exam or the individual interviews and informal interactions with players when they break down game video.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2023/...e-really-end-indianapolis-coaches-execs-react

 

[gimmesix]

He was a 1st round player to nfl teams before the combine. It's the media scouts that didn't have a clue. Same thing happened with Ware.

Team owner Jerry Jones admitted there was “a heated discussion” prior to Thursday night’s proceedings that pitted Lawrence against another player who went unnamed. When that player was selected “way earlier,” Jones said, there was consideration given to letting “the decision on Lawrence go for about eight or 10 more [picks]” as Dallas looked to trade back even further than the three spots they had already ceded in a deal with the Eagles for No. 20.

But the compensation “wasn’t there,” Jones revealed, so they turned in Lawrence’s card, confident they had gotten one of their top targets.

https://bluewaterhealthyliving.com/...boys-1st-round-pick-has-some-of-those-traits/

If we had traded back 10 picks, he would have been taken closer to the second round.

 

[shabazz]

Chill. I don’t think anyone is claiming he’s going to be great. Only that he’s built the right way.

His lats are marvelous

 

[gimmesix]

Nope, the media scouts had him in the 2nd round. Then just like Malachi the local media a week before the combine started hearing that they could go with one of their picks.

From what I remember, they had Ware as a late first/early second, then moved him up into the first heading into the draft. I don't think by the time the draft rolled around, any media scout was considering Ware a second-rounder. By the time this draft rolled around, Lawrence was still being considered a second-rounder by some media scouts.

 

[Coogiguy03]

Show he's a beast against an opposing NFL OL then this post means nothing as usual

 

[speedkilz88]

Team owner Jerry Jones admitted there was “a heated discussion” prior to Thursday night’s proceedings that pitted Lawrence against another player who went unnamed. When that player was selected “way earlier,” Jones said, there was consideration given to letting “the decision on Lawrence go for about eight or 10 more [picks]” as Dallas looked to trade back even further than the three spots they had already ceded in a deal with the Eagles for No. 20.

But the compensation “wasn’t there,” Jones revealed, so they turned in Lawrence’s card, confident they had gotten one of their top targets.

https://bluewaterhealthyliving.com/...boys-1st-round-pick-has-some-of-those-traits/

If we had traded back 10 picks, he would have been taken closer to the second round.

If they had traded back 10 picks, he would be a 49er (pick 27).

 

[gimmesix]

If they had traded back 10 picks, he would be a 49er (pick 27).

I agree, but the fact that there was a debate over it shows that even the team didn't necessarily think his value was 23. They took him at 23 because they couldn't find a trade partner with good enough compensation to move down more because they did want him and didn't want to lose him.

Based on that, I don't think the media scouts were all that off on his value, and I think if he had performed poorly or even average at the combine, they probably would have been right about his value ... because of his production (7.5 sacks). How he performed at the combine confirmed what teams had seen on film and showed that he has the measurables to be even better than what he had shown.

 

[Beaker42]

based on the Picture i think he a 46 Log

LOL try a 54 or 56, maybe even a 58L. I’m a 52L and only 6’2” and 195 lbs. He’s 6’4-1/2” and 254 lbs ……

 

[speedkilz88]

I agree, but the fact that there was a debate over it shows that even the team didn't necessarily think his value was 23. They took him at 23 because they couldn't find a trade partner with good enough compensation to move down more because they did want him and didn't want to lose him.

Based on that, I don't think the media scouts were all that off on his value, and I think if he had performed poorly or even average at the combine, they probably would have been right about his value ... because of his production (7.5 sacks). How he performed at the combine confirmed what teams had seen on film and showed that he has the measurables to be even better than what he had shown.

His production was part how he was used in college and part him having a false step on some of his snaps. A lot of the media scouts and maybe even some teams didn't identify that.

 

[Amarth]

I don’t even know why they look at college tape or the Combine, they should just have them do a bodybuilding flex off on stage like the Mr Olympia, that’s how you know who the true studs are. It blows my mind that Ronnie Coleman or Dorian Yates weren’t top 5 picks in the NFL.

 

[gimmesix]

His production was part how he was used in college and part him having a false step on some of his snaps. A lot of the media scouts and maybe even some teams didn't identify that.

Hey, I'm all for him proving his value and even proving to be better than that. I'm just not counting on it until I see it. The only real question I have about him from all the clips I've watched are his bend. A lot of the elite pass rushers have the ability once they get free of the blocker to immediately bend back to the QB, taking the shortest route. They can flatten and turn. Lawrence seems to round off instead of flatten. Tackles will try to push him and his speed past the QB if he can't take the shortest route because by the time he circles back, the ball will usually be out. I'm not saying he can't flatten and bend, just that I didn't see much of that.

 

[Amarth]

Big Dog looking at Malachi

 

[Kwyn]

Pretty sure Downs doesn’t look too impressive with his shirt off.

 

[Osroc]

Could care less what he looks like without his shirt

guarantee Nate Newton never looked that good and so what?

You'd have cared if Nate was supposed to be playing safety.

 

[DarkVader33]

MLaw has good speed on the edge. 4.5 40 time

Not the same player as Eze.

MLaw had a 2nd round grade.

They passed on a LT, Lomu. He’s the Pats starter now.

He had a first round grade by the people that mattered. The NFL teams. No one cares what the talking heads think. Well some do, but that’s just dumb.

 

[Kwyn]

Big Dog looking at Malachi

 

[DarkVader33]

Are you adding to your collection of shirtless football players?

 

[Osroc]

Go on…

Lol, you talking about QB bods. Nice. Maybe we should lump that one in with that dude talking about Nate Newton and his completely different position.

 

[Amarth]

Touche’

Not bad, but he is only 206, I’m more impressed with the bigger guys who have that physique. Maybe I’m just biased because I’m 6’2, 260 and looked like that well into my 30’s but I clearly didn’t have the athletic skills he did.

I feel the same way about shorter guys who brag about squatting or benching XYZ pounds when they only have to push 8-12 inches. For the record, I’m an absolute HUGE Downs fan but it has nothing to do with how ripped or muscular he is. Using a players physique or strength as a measure to get giddy as how good they can be is ridiculous.

 

[speedkilz88]

Hey, I'm all for him proving his value and even proving to be better than that. I'm just not counting on it until I see it. The only real question I have about him from all the clips I've watched are his bend. A lot of the elite pass rushers have the ability once they get free of the blocker to immediately bend back to the QB, taking the shortest route. They can flatten and turn. Lawrence seems to round off instead of flatten. Tackles will try to push him and his speed past the QB if he can't take the shortest route because by the time he circles back, the ball will usually be out. I'm not saying he can't flatten and bend, just that I didn't see much of that.

That's the false step, not a bend issue. Some media scouts called it an inconsistent bend which was ludicrous. They just didn't identify the issue. The Cowboys did.